Job seekers sometimes preyed upon by online scammers

Many job seekers spend hours a day scouring the Internet for job listings, making them more susceptible to online scams and frauds.

PJ Sheldon, a career consultant and author of "You're HIRED!," helps people, regardless of skill level or employment background, prepare as they begin interviewing for jobs and warns students about potential scams.

"I had a student apply for a job online, and they wanted personal information and a $60 deposit to do a background check," Sheldon said.

After prompting her student to investigate, she found that the business was unlicensed.

Other students have applied for jobs through www.craigslist.org that asked for Social Security information and a driver's license number. She said the results have ranged from stolen money to identity theft.

She added that people should research any potential website, job offer or company before sending personal information.

Alexandra Tocci, interim director of career services at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, agreed that doing one's homework goes a long way in protecting personal information.

"I always advise people to look up a company on the Better Business Bureau's website, or even just a short Google search can help," she said. "A lot of it is simply being smart about searching and what you put out there."

Job listings occasionally appear without the company being identified, which Tocci said could be for a number of reasons.

"Posting job listings on multiple websites can be a hassle, and companies often use recruiters to do the work for them," she said. "If the listing sounds like the perfect job but there is no information about the company, that's when extra precautions should be taken."

Tocci said job seekers can research the recruiter's reputation or, at the very least, withhold sensitive personal information from résumés put online.

Sites such as www.craigslist.org advise reporting online scams and frauds to the Internet Crime Complaint Center, a partnership between the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center.

The department's website, ic3.gov, provides Internet crime prevention tips and the ability to report crimes. Popular job search websites, such as monster.com, offer security tips to protect their users, including advice on how to keep a résumé safe while allowing employers access.

"There are a lot of people looking for work out there," Tocci said. "That means greater opportunity for people to get scammed."

View reporter Michael Lyle contributed to this story. Contact Paradise/Downtown View reporter Nolan Lister at nlister@viewnews.com or 702-383-0492.